A war hero comes home

After 64 years, Cpl. Lindsey C. Lockett laid to rest with full military honors

Sixty-four years after Army Cpl. Lindsey Clayton Lockett died from insufferable conditions in a prisoner of war camp in North Korea, his remains were brought home and laid to rest in an emotional ceremony Saturday in Richmond, surrounded by tearful but proud family members.

“It’s a feeling of joy,” said his 64-year-old son, Lindsey Jr., who never met his father. He was born 10 days before his father, a 24-year-old enlistee, was captured and held prisoner during the Korean War on Dec. 1, 1950.

“He’s finally home. He’s back where he was born and raised. My family didn’t know if they’d ever find him.”

More than 100 people, including family, friends, veterans and other supporters, attended the poignant memorial service for Cpl. Lockett at New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Chesterfield County, where Mr. Lockett is a deacon emeritus.

In addition to his son, other family members in attendance included Cpl. Lockett’s widow, Anna Lockett Brown, now 82, and his grandson, Leonardo Lockett, 44, a sergeant with the National Guard Reserves.

“This was a great American fighting man until he died in faith,” Bishop Gerald O. Glenn said during the eulogy.

“God knew this man’s remains needed to come home to the sovereign grounds of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

When he finished his duty with the reserve, he got a job at McGuire VA Medical Center.

He had a passion for styling hair, especially women’s hair, and enrolled in Turpin’s Barber and Beauty School that he attended on weekends.

He met his future wife, Anna Wallace, while styling her hair. He asked her out on a date and their relationship blossomed.

In 1950, Cpl. Lockett was called to active duty with the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division.

He told his commanding officer he wanted to get married before heading to Korea. He was given three days, and the couple wed at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on North Side, where he was a member.

She was 17 and pregnant with Lindsey Jr. at the time.

It also was the last time they would be together. While fighting the enemy near Kunuri, North Korea, Cpl. Lockett was taken prisoner.

His actions during combat “helped save the lives” of other soldiers, Bishop Glenn told the memorial gathering.

“Before us today, brothers and sisters, we have a true American hero,” he said.

Cpl. Lockett died in a prisoner of war camp on May 31, 1951, of malnutrition, pneumonia and jaundice, his son said.

“The guys that did get out said my father stood up against things that were wrong and didn’t back down,” Mr. Lockett said. “He refused to eat what they gave him because it was things like rats, snakes, worms and other detestable things.”

After years of an agonizing, unsuccessful search to discover Cpl. Lockett’s whereabouts, the family believed he had died and been buried in North Korea. They thought his body would remain there forever, given the tumultuous political climate between North Korea and the United States.